Conditions in the U.K. – Two COVID stories – Trump and Pence prepare for the inauguration, each in his characteristic way – Evening statistics
I had a chat via Skype with my friend RE, who lives in the U.K. We exchanged, among other things, news of how the virus is affecting day-to-day living in our respective countries. The restrictions in the U.K. are far stricter than they are here. Hikes such as I have described with others are not possible in the U.K. at the moment; one can walk together only with one other person. The only stores that are open are stores at which one can purchase food or hardware. All other retail stores are closed. Travel between counties there is limited in a manner similar to how travel between states is here. Certain small islands, such as the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands, are relatively free from the virus. The authorities in these localities are determined that they remain so and, to that end, have rigorously curbed visitors even from other parts of the U.K. London has just built a temporary morgue to house 1,300 bodies; the city has sustained nearly 11,000 deaths from the virus since the pandemic began.
Two contrasting stories about the virus demonstrate just how unpredictable it can be. The first is that of Bob Horbaczewski, aged 47, from Arizona. He, his wife, and his three children came down with the virus in December, even though they had taken precautions. The wife and children recovered, but he is now on a ventilator and his survival is doubtful. Even if he does survive his respiratory system has suffered so much damage that he will need a lung transplant. Although his wife contracted the disease and has since recovered, presumably acquiring a degree of immunity, she is forced to forego in-person visits and to watch his struggles virtually. He had no underlying conditions and before he was stricken with the virus, he was “an image of health,” to use his wife’s words.
And then there is the story of John Hollis, aged 54, a communications manager at George Mason University. He experienced some mild congestion after returning from a trip to Europe in March, just as the alarm about the virus was beginning. It soon passed, however, but is roommate fell ill with the virus shortly afterwards. Hollis stood by his door early every morning and listened for movement to ensure that he was still alive. He consistently wiped down the townhouse they shared and confined himself to his bedroom, thinking that he would almost certainly contract it as well. He was also worried about his son, who had accompanied him on the European trip. Upon investigation, however, the physicians discovered that his blood is fortified with antibodies to such an extent that he literally cannot contract the virus, no matter how many people he is exposed to. In fact, the likelihood is that his roommate became ill because Hollis unknowingly passed it on to him. Hollis is currently working with the George Mason lab, providing saliva and blood samples every two weeks, in a project that is attempting to mimic the type of antibody action that he possesses.
Donald Trump is now expected to leave the White House on Wednesday morning. His plans, supposedly, are to fly to Palm Beach, landing there at approximately 12:00 PM, the time that the inauguration ceremony begins. Boxes have been already been packed and loaded into moving vans. Mike Pence, on the other hand, personally called Kamala Harris to congratulate her and to offer assistance for the inauguration, which he and his wife plan to attend. Whatever one might think of Pence’s politics, he is worthy of a far better master than the one he served for four years. He is now fulfilling nearly all of the responsibilities that the outgoing President normally undertakes. In addition, he has just attended a ceremony in honor of the legendary pilot Chuck Yeager (who died on December 7th at the age of 97), and will give speeches in California and New York over the weekend touting the administration’s military achievements. No one who participated in Trump’s administration, of course, can emerge with an unstained reputation; but of all of the people who fell into Trump’s net, he is the one who seems the least unclean.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 94,309,732; # of deaths worldwide: 2,017,798; # of cases U.S.: 24,102,429; # of deaths; U.S.: 401,856. We have over 400,000 deaths from the virus now. Our incidence rate is 7.25%, over 1 in 14 per population.